The Ultimate Whale Quiz

Whales are among the most intelligent mammals known to man and most whales even appear to enjoy being in the company of human beings. Take our quiz to learn more about this amazing mammal.

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Question 1 of 20

What is the range in length of the whale species?

from 5 feet to more than 100 feet

There are many kinds of whales, ranging in size from a 5-foot (1.5-m) harbor dolphin to a blue whale, which may reach a length of more than 100 feet (30 m). Whales are found in all seas as well as many coastal waters and the largest whales may weigh up to 140 tons.

from 10 feet to more than 120 feet

from 15 feet to more than 130 feet

Question 2 of 20

What is the common name given to the two wings on a whale’s tail fin?

sails

flukes

Whales swim with their powerful tail, which ends in a pair of horizontal flukes that bend as the tail moves up and down. The tail and flukes drive this animal through the water at great speeds that are especially surprising for a whale’s huge size.

vestigial flaps

Question 3 of 20

What portion of a whale’s total body length is its tail?

one eighth

one quarter

one third

A whale has a head, body and tail, but because of its sleek form it's hard to tell where one part ends and the next begins. The tail of a whale accounts for one third of its body length.

Question 4 of 20

What is an obvious reason that scientists believe whales were once land-based animals?

Fossils have been found of whale like creatures with tiny legs that could not possibly support their weight.

Whales have vestigial hind legs buried in their flesh.

Both of the above are reasons that scientists believe whales evolved from land animals to living only in water.

Fossils have been found of whale-like creatures with tiny legs that could not support their weight and modern whales still have vestigial hind legs buried in their flesh. Some studies conclude that whales were once four-legged animals with hooves.

Question 5 of 20

What is the name given to a method employed by many whales to find prey and locate obstacles in the water using sound waves?

echolocation

Echolocation is the process where a whale emits a series of clicks from its mouth or from organs in its head, the sound waves radiate out in the water. When the sound waves reach another animal or some obstacle, they bounce off and travel back to a whales ears, the whale calculates the time this takes to find the distance and direction of a target.

sonar

doppler effect

Question 6 of 20

What is the behavior called when whales slap the water with their tails?

dovetailing

lobtailing

Whales sometimes slap the water with their tails and it produces a tremendous splash. This stunt is called lobtailing and experts make guesses that they do it for mating purposes, communication, a warning or just plain fun. No one really knows for sure.

breaching

Question 7 of 20

A whale is an oxygen-breathing mammal, so how does it breathe when it spends most of its time underwater.

A whale extracts oxygen from the water and surfaces only to blow out water containing carbon dioxide.

A whale opens a blowhole to breathe as it breaks the surface and then closes it before submerging again.

To breathe in air a whale will surface, flex a muscle to open its blowhole at the top of its head and then inhale. When the whale relaxes muscle, the blowhole closes so it can submerge again and this all happens very quickly.

A whale inhales oxygen through its always-open blowhole just after it ejects water that came in while submerged.

Question 8 of 20

What is it that allows whales to eat while submerged without drowning?

A whale’s lungs are connected as with land animals, but a flap seals the mouth from the windpipe when submerged.

Air pressure in a whale’s lungs prevents water from entering during feeding while submerged.

A whale’s lungs and windpipe are connected only to its nasal passages and not its mouth.

Whales have lungs and breathe air -- just like other mammals -- but their windpipes are not connected to their mouths.

Question 9 of 20

Why do whales squirt seawater out of their blowholes, if their blowholes are always closed during submersion?

Whales do not squirt seawater from their blowholes at all.

The spout that we see is caused by exhaled air that is warmer than the surrounding air at the water's surface. As it shoots out the ejected air rapidly cools and the water vapor in the exhaled air immediately condenses into a liquid, giving the appearance that it is water spraying.

Whales squirt seawater from their blowholes as part of their mating ritual.

Whales only squirt seawater from their blowholes when they feel threatened in order to intimidate a threat.

Question 10 of 20

When an experienced whale watcher observes a waterspout, what can they tell about the whale that created it?

Experienced whale-watchers can identify the sex of a whale simply by its distinct waterspout.

Experienced whale-watchers can identify the species of whale simply by observing its waterspout.

Since each species of whale has a uniquely shaped blowhole, they also have a distinctive spout shape. Experienced whale-watchers can use the spout shape to identify any particular species without any other clues.

Experienced whale-watchers can identify the health of a whale simply by observing its waterspout.

Question 11 of 20

Into how many groups do scientists divide whales?

two

Scientists divide whales into two groups. There are baleen whales and toothed whales.

three

four

Question 12 of 20

Non-toothed whales have developed something called a baleen to allow them to catch their food. What is a baleen?

A baleen is a wide plate in a whale’s mouth that has hundreds of round openings to trap fish from seawater.

A baleen is a wide plate in a whale’s mouth that looks like fishing net.

A baleen is a wide plate in a whale’s mouth made up of hundreds of long blades to trap fish from seawater.

A baleen is a wide plate in a whale's mouth formed with hundreds of long blades made from the same material as our fingernails, called keratin. The blades are up to seven feet long and form a sieve that the whale uses to filter small animals such as krill, plankton or small fish from seawater.

Question 13 of 20

What do whales drink?

Whales drink from the seawater when they swim.

Whales get their water from the food they eat.

Whales get their water from the food they eat, just like all marine mammals. Whales cannot drink salt water, as it causes dehydration in tissue.

Both of the above are ways that whales drink water.

Question 14 of 20

What do whales do to stay hydrated if they do not have food readably available from which to derive water?

Whales will drink what they need from their blubber stores.

Whales actually drink the water they need from their stored up blubber when food is not plentiful enough to provide their hydration needs. A thin whale not only risks starvation but also could die from thirst.

Whales will seek out fresh water springs often found close to shore or at the bottom of the ocean.

Whales are often found drinking at fresh water outlets of large rivers, which can extend more than a mile offshore.

Question 15 of 20

What is the round-trip distance of the longest migration of a mammal, which is completed by a gray whale?

10,000 miles

Gray whales migrate all the way from the Bering and Chukchi Seas in the Arctic to southern California. It is the longest migration of any mammal, with a round-trip distance of some 10,000 miles (16,000 km).

8,000 miles

6,000 miles

Question 16 of 20

What is another popular name that blue whales are affectionately called?

big blue

gentle giant

sulfur bottom

The name sulfur bottom comes from the fact that the underside of the blue whale commonly becomes coated with yellowish microscopic algae. Blue whales swim at a top speed of about 30 mph (48 kph) but they still cannot shake off that algae or the name.

Question 17 of 20

How much of the tiny shrimp like krill can an average blue whale consume during the summer feeding season?

over 14,000 pounds

over 10,000 pounds

During the summer feeding season, a blue whale may devour over 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) of krill a day.

over 7,000 pounds

Question 18 of 20

Do whales have good eyesight?

Baleen whales have good eyesight especially in dim underwater environs but toothed whales do not.

Blue whales and other baleen whales have good eyesight, but unlike humans the baleen whales have eyes that are flattened in the front. This eye shape is better for seeing in a dim, underwater habitat. Toothed whales do not see well at all.

Both Baleen and toothed whales have better than average eyesight underwater.

All whales rely more on sound to locate food and obstructions than they do on eyes.

Question 19 of 20

Are killer whales dangerous to humans, especially swimmers or divers?

Killer whales are noted for attacking whaling boats, swimmers or divers and are very dangerous when in the wild.

Killer whales did not get that name by accident so beware and get out of the water if one approaches.

Killer whales are simply a huge dolphin and if treated with respect will act in kind toward you.

Killer whales or orcas are simply huge dolphins and usually act like dolphins, showing affection to humans and even saving humans from shark attacks. Like any dolphin, killer whales will become agitated and annoyed if humans overdo playful roughhousing and can give you a nasty time.

Question 20 of 20

About how much weight can mother blue whales lose while nursing their infant?

as much as 150,000 pounds

as much as 100,000 pounds

A mother blue whale may lose as much as 100,000 pounds (45,400 kilograms), or a third of her body weight, while nursing. Baby blue whales consume up to 50 gallons (189 L) of milk every day and grow by as much as 10 pounds (4.54 kg) every hour.